Apparatus for making balls



Feb. 3. 1925.

F. M. CANDA APPARATUS FOR MAKING BALLS Original Filed April 25. 1924 W Lw w HUM/v5 z m H H U 90MB 2 ,JT zw z 0/ w ,n. z a! M45 WP$ ..||.|..|HM wH 7 WW ,ZJfbra 020226261 F. M. cmxp APPARATUS FOR MAKING BALLS OriginalFiled April 2 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z fra/ Oa/rwZa/ PATE'T OFFIGE.

FERDINAND MOEA sienna, or NEW YORK; N. Y.

menus FOR MAKING Barns.

Original application fi led April as, 1524, Eerial No. 708,996. Dividedand this ppnatiohffiid lq'ove'mher 6, 192 1.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known that I, FERDI AND Mon'A GAN'DA, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forMaking Balls, of which the following is a specification.

7 My invention relates to machines for forming metal balls for useespecially in grinding or pulverizing machines, this case being adivision of m applicatiomS erial No. 708,990, filed April 25, 192 1.

In ball rolling machine's usually employed, a series of balls are formedsimultai'ieo'usly from a heated rod by passing the rod tween a groovedroll and a correspondingly grooved shoe or die plate. ridges between thegrooves cut intothe hot rod-blank, the metal displaced by the ribs iscaused to flow into the s 'ac'es of the grooves and each ball section'egins to assume a spool shape. Under these conditions it is diificultto form a b-al'lv'vithout leaving an annular groove. Again, if the metalof the rod-blank is very hot, the metal has a tendency to spin, with theresult that a central cavity is formed in the ball.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved means for rollingballs from rod-blanks which will overcome the defects of prior methodsabove produce balls having solid CGIS and substantially free fromsurface irregularities, sash as grooves, creases and other defects.

In the following detailed description I shall refer to the accompanyingdrawings, in whichFigure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional View of aball rolling machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional View on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailview on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary viewsto illustrate the various stages in the formation of the balls as viewedrespectively on the lines 4L4, 5-5, 66, and 77 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is anillustrative View to show the partially formed balls in the blank as itis about to emerge from the upper roll; Fig. 9 is an illustrative viewshowing the blank just after it has entered the second pass between thelower roll and its shoe; and Fig. 10 is an illustrative view showing thefinished ball as it is about to emerge from the second pass.

As the ribs or Serial No. 748,261.

In rolling balls from rods, it is evident that the rods must be smallerinpdiameter than the dian'ieter of the balls. To a'cc'omplish the properfinishing and perfecting of the balls near the end of the rollingoperation, the material from which the ball is rolled should a proximtevery closely to the diameter of the finishedbail and necessarily thegrooves of the roll and the shoe must be confined to asemi-circularshape. I have found that I can eliminatethe causies whichhave heretofore resulted in the iniperfeetions in the finished balls andcan produce much more perfect balls by providing a preliminary orroughing pass in which the rod is formed into connected series of ballelements to the finishing opera-- tion between a second roll; and shoe.I am thereby enabled to en'iploy grooves of an entirely different shapein the? roughing pass from those of the finishing pass. Moreover as therod is grooved about two tliir' ds' of the way through in thepreliminary p as's, less space is required between tlie roll and theshoe in the finishing pass and the progres's tl'irough the latter maytl'i ere fore be made more gradual which centributesto greater accuracyand perfection in the finished product. I V

The grooved rolls wand 12 oft-he upper and lower passes respectively arecarr'ijedjby shafts 14 and 15 which are suitably driven and are gearedto otate in 6ppQSlt 'ClifC tions. 7 In the methods of rolling sphericalheretofore employed the rod or bar from which the balls formed, issubject-ed throughout the entire rolling operation to the action ofgrooves that are substantially semi-circular with the resulting defectsand imperfections in the finished balls above pointed out.

I have found that I can compact the metal and maintain it solidthroughout, free from internal flaws when it is forced to flow into thegrooves as the ribs cut into the metal, by so shaping the grooves in theroll 10 and shoe 16 of the preliminary or roughing pass that the sidesof the grooves exert pressures toward the center of the ball element. Tothis end I make the groove V-shape with the apex cut off or flattened sothat the pass is substantially hexagonal, as shown in Fig. 4 It will beseen that as the ribs cut or bite into the hot metal rod or bar 20, thedisplaced metal which flows up into the grooves is constantly pressedtoward the center of the ball element 2O by the inclined sides of thegrooves. This prevents any tendency of the metal to spin and maintainsthe metal solid throughout.

As the metal continues to flow into the grooves under the impellingaction of the entering ribs, there is a tendency to cause the ballelements to become spool shape with a central annular groove which isdiflicult to remove in the subsequent rolling and which has heretoforecaused imperfections in the finished balls. To obviate this difliculty Iso proportion the grooves that the flat central portion bears againstthe central part of the ball-element While the metal is still flowinginto the groove and also position the oblique sides of the groove withinthe circumference which will be assumed by the finished ball. I haveindicated in Fig. 5, by broken lines the circumference of the finishedball 20. It will be observed that the slanting sides of the grooveencroach upon the space which would be occupied by the finished ball.This causes the metal to be pressed around the central belt and preventsor eradicates any groove that would otherwise form in the ball.Accordingly as the blank emerges from the preliminary or roughing pass,the ball elements 20 form substantially double cones with their basesjoined by a circular band. The metal of the rod orbar has been out abouttwo-thirds of the way through so that the ball elements are connectedinto a longitudinal series by short core parts 20 as indicated in Figure6. Inasmuch as the metal fills the groove as it nears the end of theroughing pass the centered sides of the groove of the roll exert akneading action upon the metal tending to push a surface ridge aroundthe ball element and consequently there will be a slight crease 20 inthe ball elements as they roll over the transfer slide 23 between thetwo passes. When the blank enters the second shape, the initial spacebetween the finishing roll 12 and its shoe 18 is only sufficient toreceive shaped series of ball elements and the variation throughout thesecond pass may be very gradual. After the balls have separated fromeach other in the latter part of the finishing pass they are stillsubjected to the smoothing action of the, grooves in which they then fitclosely. This is an important improvement in ball rolling machines andcontributes materially to the excellence of the finished balls.

I claim 1. A machine for forming balls from a rod or bar, comprising aroll and a cooperating shoe having grooves of substantially truncatedV-shape forming a preliminary or roughing pass and a second roll andcooperating shoe having substantially semi-circular grooves forming afinishing pass.

2. A machine for forming balls from a rod or bar, comprising a roll anda cooperating shoe having grooves provided with angularly arranged wallsforming a prelimi nary or roughing pass and a second roll andcooperating shoe having substantially semicircular grooves forming afinishing pass.

3. A machine for forming balls from a rod or bar, comprising a roll andmating member having grooves forming a pass sub stantially hexagonal insection and a second roll and mating member having grooves forming apass substantially circular in section. 7 p

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FERDINAND MORA OANDA.

